Pluto’s 87-year Planetary Identity Crisis Revealed

For decades, scientists of Lowell Observatory in Arizona, as well as astronomer Clyde Tombaugh, has been scanning millions of stars in search of a fabled planet like Pluto in the entire solar system. After the long search and taking several photos to confirm the finding, they announced that another planet would be added in the solar system.

The planet was named as Pluto as an honor to Percival Lowell. Lowell's initials would make up the first two letters of the name. Percival Lowell was a mathematician, a wealthy businessman, and an astronomer who built the observatory to search for Planet X.

According to Quartz Media, Lowell believed that planet X is just out there, waiting to be discovered. His theory was about a giant planet that is lurking beyond Neptune to create a gravitational tug. However, when Pluto was discovered, astronomers began questioning its status as a Planet X.

According to them, Pluto looks small to create orbital perturbations. For 50 years, the planet's mass was calculated and argued, then recalculated again. The discovery of its moon allowed having a final measurement of the planet's mass.

However, a realization came after the data has been received from Voyager 2 that crossed Neptune. The data reveal that Pluto's status as a Planet X was dealt a fatal blow. Lowell's original observations were off, and Neptune's mass was overestimated by 0.5 percent.

A planet is defined as something that circles the sun without being some other object's satellite. It is also own a gravity, not so big to undergo nuclear fusion, and has orbiting bodies. Scientists said that planet Pluto might have clouds.

According to Enid News, for 87 years since planet Pluto has been discovered, scientists have learned about the planet and have even argued about it. And whatever its status, Pluto with a funky orbit will continue to enthrall scientists in the future.

Alan Stern who is the head of the New Horizons Mission said that if a space traveler saw a celestial body with clouds, they would eventually think that it is a planet. This makes enough reason to call Pluto as a planet.